12 WWE Stars Who Left And Returned More Bad Ass
11. Sgt. Slaughter
In 1984, Sgt. Slaughter became a top babyface in the WWF by challenging the evil foreign menace of The Iron Sheik. Such patriotic angles were nothing new for wrestling, but had a proven track record of success.
They weren't quite antiquated by the mid-80's, so there was still a place for the 'American Hero' persona.
Upon leaving the company, Slaughter would spend time in the faltering AWA before making a WWF comeback towards the end of 1990. Sending a letter to Vince McMahon explaining his admiration for what the boss was presenting, Slaughter was brought back into the fold, only this time he'd be playing the heel.
Unthinkably aligning with The Iron Sheik, the former patriot was booked to turn his back on the United States. Suddenly, Slaughter was a much more threatening character, even finding enough success as a villain to bag the WWF Heavyweight Title from The Ultimate Warrior at the 1991 Royal Rumble.
Realistically, Slaughter's heel gimmick only existed so that all-American good guy Hulk Hogan had someone to beat at WrestleMania VII, but it still had a decidedly harder edge than his previous babyface guise.